Review: Transcendent (Starling #3) by Lesley Livingston

On a storm-swept terrace high above the streets of Manhattan, Mason Starling holds the fate of the world in her hands as her beloved Fennrys lies bleeding at her feet, his life hanging in the balance. The ancient Norse prophecy of Ragnarok stands poised on the knife edge of fulfilment.

Mason’s transformation into a Valkyrie—a chooser of the slain and the one who will ultimately bring about the end of the world—is complete. Still, she remains determined to thwart her father’s apocalyptic desires. Whatever is to come, it won’t happen because of what the prophecy foretold, or what Gunnar Starling has planned, or what the fates have already decided.

What happens next will be up to Mason and the Fennrys Wolf. The world had better hope they haven’t reached the limits of what their souls and swords can survive.
Perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series, and set in the same universe as Lesley Livingston’s much-loved WONDROUS STRANGE trilogy, with roots in Greek, Roman, Norse, Egyptian, and Celtic myths and legends, this thrilling conclusion to the acclaimed Starling trilogy is filled to the hilt with sweeping adventure and soaring romance.

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Review:

Continuing exactly where Descendant left off, Mason is left begging Rafe, as Anubis, to save Fennrys's life. This will make Fennrys a wolf, and will fulfill a prophecy of sorts.

If the other two books were considered fast paced, then this one is superhuman fast. The story speeds up, if that's at all possible, and jets through vast epical backstory telling us about Fennrys and his own family, and how the school, Mason and her father are all involved in Ragnarok. Most importantly, why her father believes this should come to pass especially when he is the man who has everything.

The mythical gods continue to weave their way into these teenagers lives and soon the world cannot control what is happening as past and present collide.

This book really impressed me. Starling and Descendant were somewhat troublesome in parts but if it all came down to this book then I would say any lover of young adult fantasy should read this series.

I do love mythical books and loved how Livingston tries continually to add small elements of smaller myths into her story lines. It might be as inconsequential as the guy who Heather meets on the train, but it proved to be a vital part of the story later on. At the beginning you think, why include this, and then you have that 'ah-ha' moment when it all makes sense.

At the end of Transcendent my admiration for Mason grew exponentially. She's now become one of my favourite characters, and I would love to read more from her. Hopefully in first person point of view next time. I also liked Fennrys, who played a vital role in Mason's grounding. He was the only one who wouldn't let her embrace her true fate, and the only one who could bring her out of her reverie as a Valkyrie.

The gods meeting in modern day is exciting and I don't think I've read anyone who's been able to achieve this quite so thoroughly.

I would recommend this series if you follow myths, but also if you enjoy a group camaraderie story where everyone has a role to play in defeating the ultimate enemy. I'm now a Lesley Livingston fan!

-CBx

✤✤✤✤

About the Author

LESLEY LIVINGSTON is a writer living in Toronto, Canada. She is the author of twelve books to date. Her first novel, WONDROUS STRANGE, was winner of the CLA Young Adult Book of the Year 2010, a White Pine Honour Book, shortlisted for the Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Speculative Fiction, and in 2015 was named one of CBC’s “100 YA Books That Make You Proud To Be Canadian”. DARKLIGHT, the second book in this series was a finalist for the Indigo Teen Read Awards. The concluding volume in the trilogy, TEMPESTUOUS, was a finalist for the Monica Hughes Award. These books have sold to more than ten countries to date, and WONDROUS STRANGE has been optioned for film/TV by Shaftesbury Films. Her other trilogies have both won the Copper Cylinder award for Young Adult fiction.